Utah TikTokers move to RedNote as SCOTUS weighs ban
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Utah and Salt Lake City posts, searched on RedNote. Images via RedNote
Utah TikTokers are joining the mass migration to RedNote, the Chinese app that has drawn hundreds of thousands of U.S. content creators.
Why it matters: Utah's social media influencer scene is famously outsized, so the pending ban of TikTok would leave a lot of prominent content creators here in a lurch.
The big picture: RedNote — a platform whose interface is similar to TikTok's — shot to the top of U.S. app charts as the nation waited for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a ban that would shut down the app as soon as Sunday.
- During oral arguments last week, the justices seemed inclined to uphold the ban, sending TikTok creators in search of alternatives.
Zoom in: Utah TikTokers have been popping up on RedNote with snowsports videos, footage of the state's landscapes and views, pet photos (a beloved bonding practice on the app), art and music samples, wisecracks about their "assigned spies," cultural exchange overtures — and promises to learn Chinese.
What they're saying: "I'm learning Mandarin and planning a vacay with my new besties," TikToker Cierra Nebeker posted Tuesday.
How it works: If you download the app, you can find a lot of local creators by searching "Utah," "Salt Lake City" or their Chinese translations: 犹他州 ("Youta zhou," or "Utah state"), and 盐湖城 ("Yen Hu Cheng," literally, "Salt Lake City").
- Newcomers frequently use the hashtag #TikTokrefugee.
Caveat: RedNote — whose Chinese name means "Little Red Book," a la Mao Zedong — likely faces the same legal difficulties that have plagued TikTok, Forbes reports.
- It also doesn't share TikTok's algorithm, which was central to its massive popularity.
Yes, but: Many TikTokers in Utah and elsewhere say they moved to RedNote precisely because its Chinese ownership makes it a middle finger to the U.S. government.
Worth your time: Here are some interesting Utah RedNote users we've found.
- 🍲Amy Zheng, who has a large following on Instagram, has been posting detailed and insightful food reviews on RedNote from Utah restaurants for about a year.
- 🚡A Park City mechanic gained thousands of followers in less than a day for her videos of ski lift and snowcat repairs.
- ⛳️ You can follow the progress of 7-year-old Sandy golf phenom Grace Shang via her parents' videos.
- 🎤 This Ogden piercing fanatic deserves a follow simply for documenting his hilarious transition from TikTok to RedNote, complete with his first lip sync'ed Chinese love song.
- 🎶 Orem musical duo PRKR racked up 19,000 followers since Tuesday.
- ⛷️Yicheng Zhang, who goes by lancevalour has posted dozens of videos of backcountry skiing, mountain biking and other wilderness adventures in the Wasatch Mountains.
- The Shumway Show, a popular family vlog, promises a presence on RedNote starting Jan. 19.